Helping disabled people in developing countries

INDONESIA: Swamp Fever Outbreak

Bantul regency in Indonesia’s central Java region has declared a state of emergency and health agencies nationwide are on alert following an outbreak of leptospirosis, commonly known as swamp fever, a fatal animal-borne disease that can result in high fever, internal bleeding and organ failure, said the Health Ministry.

Four of 15 people reported to have been infected with the bacterial disease have died since the onset of the outbreak in late January, a case fatality rate of 27 percent.